A printhead includes a substrate and monolithic liquid jetting structure including a nozzle, deflection mechanism, and catcher. The nozzle, through which a liquid jet is ejected in a direction substantially parallel to a first surface of the substrate, includes material layers formed on the first surface of the substrate. At least one of the material layers of the nozzle includes a drop forming mechanism actuated to form liquid drops from the liquid jet. The deflection mechanism is associated with the liquid jet and deflects portions of the liquid jet between first and second paths. liquid drops formed from portions of the liquid jet following the first path and the second path continue to follow the first path and the second path, respectively. The catcher, including a material layer formed on the first surface of the substrate, collects liquid drops following one of the paths.
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1. A printhead comprising:
a substrate including a first surface; and
a monolithic liquid jetting structure including:
a nozzle through which a liquid jet is ejected in a direction substantially parallel to the first surface of the substrate, the nozzle including a plurality of material layers formed on the first surface of the substrate, at least one of the plurality of material layers of the nozzle including a drop forming mechanism actuated to form liquid drops from the liquid jet;
a deflection mechanism associated with the liquid jet that deflects portions of the liquid jet between a first path and a second path after the portion of the liquid jet exits the nozzle, the liquid drops formed from those portions of the liquid jet following the first path continuing to follow the first path, the liquid drops formed from those portions of the liquid jet following the second path continuing to follow the second path; and
a catcher that collects liquid drops following the second path, the catcher including a material layer formed on the first surface of the substrate.
2. The printhead of
3. The printhead of
4. The printhead of
5. The printhead of
7. The printhead of
8. The printhead of
9. The printhead of
10. The printhead of
11. The printhead of
a channel located between the first surface of the substrate and the second surface of the substrate, the channel being in fluid communication with the catcher.
12. The printhead of
13. The printhead of
14. The printhead of
15. The printhead of
a channel located between the first surface of the substrate and the second surface of the substrate, the channel being in fluid communication with the nozzle.
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Reference is made to commonly-assigned, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/456,537, entitled “LIQUID EJECTION WITH ON-CHIP DEFLECTION AND COLLECTION”, filed concurrently herewith.
This invention relates generally to the field of digitally controlled liquid ejection systems, and in particular to continuous liquid ejection systems in which a liquid jet breaks into drops that travel along different trajectories or paths.
Ink jet printing has become recognized as a prominent contender in the digitally controlled, electronic printing arena because, e.g., of its non-impact, low-noise characteristics, its use of plain paper and its avoidance of toner transfer and fixing. Ink jet printing mechanisms can be categorized by technology as either drop on demand ink jet (DOD) or continuous ink jet (CIJ).
The first technology, “drop-on-demand” (DOD) ink jet printing, provides ink drops that impact upon a recording surface using a pressurization actuator, for example, a thermal, piezoelectric, or electrostatic actuator. One commonly practiced drop-on-demand technology uses thermal actuation to eject ink drops from a nozzle. A heater, located at or near the nozzle, heats the ink sufficiently to boil, forming a vapor bubble that creates enough internal pressure to eject an ink drop. This form of inkjet is commonly termed “thermal ink jet (TIJ).”
The second technology commonly referred to as “continuous” ink jet (CIJ) printing, uses a pressurized ink source to produce a continuous liquid jet stream of ink by forcing ink, under pressure, through a nozzle. The stream of ink is perturbed using a drop forming mechanism such that the liquid jet breaks up into drops of ink in a predictable manner. One continuous printing technology uses thermal stimulation of the liquid jet to form drops that eventually become print drops and non-print drops. Printing occurs by selectively deflecting one of the print drops and the non-print drops and catching the non-print drops. Various approaches for selectively deflecting drops have been developed including electrostatic deflection, air deflection, and thermal deflection.
Drop placement accuracy of print drops is critical in order to maintain image quality. Liquid drop build up on a drop contact face of a catcher, for example, can adversely affect drop placement accuracy. When this occurs, print drops can collide with liquid that accumulates on the drop contact face of the catcher. Additionally, a catcher, for example, a “knife-edge” catcher, that uses an edge to collect non-print drops typically needs that edge to be straight to within a few microns from one end to the other. A catcher lacking the appropriate amount of edge straightness is susceptible to liquid drop build which can lead to reduced image quality.
During assembly, the catcher has to be carefully aligned relative to a nozzle array of a continuous printhead since the angular separation between print drops and non-print drops is, typically, only a few degrees. Conventional alignment processes are typically laborious procedures and increase the cost of the printhead. When the printhead includes multiple nozzle arrays, each catcher typically needs to be aligned to its corresponding nozzle plate individually and one at a time adding cost and time to the printhead fabrication process.
Since a catcher is typically attached to a printhead frame using screws or adhesive, alignment of the catcher relative to the nozzle array can be compromised when the assembled printhead is subjected to shock, for example, during shipment or during the adhesive curing process. Additionally, a catcher is typically made from materials that are different from materials used to make the nozzle plate and therefore have different thermal coefficients of expansion. As such, alignment issues often arise when the ambient temperature changes. The problems associated with alignment and assembly are exacerbated as the length of the printhead is increased from an inch or less to page wide which could be tens of inches long.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide an improved liquid catcher for use in printheads and printing systems.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a printhead includes a substrate and a monolithic liquid jetting structure. The substrate includes a first surface. The monolithic liquid jetting structure includes a nozzle, a deflection mechanism, and a catcher. The nozzle, through which a liquid jet is ejected in a direction substantially parallel to the first surface of the substrate, includes a plurality of material layers formed on the first surface of the substrate. At least one of the plurality of material layers of the nozzle includes a drop forming mechanism actuated to form liquid drops from the liquid jet. The deflection mechanism is associated with the liquid jet and deflects portions of the liquid jet between a first path and a second path after the portion of the liquid jet exits the nozzle. The liquid drops formed from those portions of the liquid jet following the first path continue to follow the first path and the liquid drops formed from those portions of the liquid jet following the second path continue to follow the second path. The catcher, which includes a material layer formed on the first surface of the substrate, collects liquid drops following one of the first path and the second path.
In the detailed description of the example embodiments of the invention presented below, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The present description will be directed in particular to elements forming part of, or cooperating more directly with, apparatus in accordance with the present invention. It is to be understood that elements not specifically shown or described may take various forms well known to those skilled in the art. In the following description and drawings, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements.
The example embodiments of the present invention are illustrated schematically and not to scale for the sake of clarity. One of the ordinary skills in the art will be able to readily determine the specific size and interconnections of the elements of the example embodiments of the present invention.
As described herein, the example embodiments of the present invention provide a printhead or printhead components typically used in inkjet printing systems. However, many other applications are emerging which use inkjet printheads to emit liquids (other than inks) that need to be finely metered and deposited with high spatial precision. As such, as described herein, the terms “liquid,” “ink,” “print,” and “printing” refer to any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejector, the liquid ejection system, or the liquid ejection system components described below.
Referring to
Recording medium 32 is moved relative to printhead 30 by a recording medium transport system 34, which is electronically controlled by a recording medium transport control system 36, and which in turn is controlled by a micro-controller 38. The recording medium transport system shown in
Ink is contained in an ink reservoir 40 under pressure. In the non-printing state, continuous ink jet drop streams are unable to reach recording medium 32 due to an ink catcher 42 that blocks the stream and which may allow a portion of the ink to be recycled by an ink recycling unit 44. The ink recycling unit reconditions the ink and feeds it back to reservoir 40. Such ink recycling units are well known in the art. The ink pressure suitable for optimal operation will depend on a number of factors, including geometry and thermal properties of the nozzles and thermal properties of the ink. A constant ink pressure can be achieved by applying pressure to ink reservoir 40 under the control of ink pressure regulator 46. Alternatively, the ink reservoir can be left unpressurized, or even under a reduced pressure (vacuum), and a pump is employed to deliver ink from the ink reservoir under pressure to the printhead 30. In such an embodiment, the ink pressure regulator 46 can comprise an ink pump control system. As shown in
The ink is distributed to printhead 30 through an ink channel 47. The ink preferably flows through slots or holes etched through a silicon substrate of printhead 30 to its front surface, where a plurality of nozzles and drop forming mechanisms, for example, heaters, are situated. When printhead 30 is fabricated from silicon, drop forming mechanism control circuits 26 can be integrated with the printhead. Printhead 30 also includes a deflection mechanism (shown in
Referring to
Typically, the printhead includes a plurality of nozzle, for example, arranged in an array, on a common substrate. Liquid, for example, ink, is emitted under pressure through the plurality of nozzles to form filaments of liquid, commonly referred to as liquid jets. In
Referring to
In the cross sectional view provided by
Liquid return channel 470 is located between the first surface 485 of substrate 405, the surface on which monolithic liquid jetting structure 400 is positioned, and a second surface 505 of substrate 405. Liquid return channel 470 is in fluid communication with a catcher 480 and is provided to remove drops 465 that are not used for printing and facilitate liquid transfer to recycling unit 44. Drops 465 are caught by catcher 480 and can be encouraged to retreat from catcher 480 and flow into liquid return channel 470 using a vacuum or other liquid suction means.
A liquid supply channel 475 is located between the first surface 485 of substrate 405, the surface on which monolithic liquid jetting structure 400 is positioned, and a second surface 505 of substrate 405. Liquid supply channel 475 is in fluid communication with nozzle 420 and is provided to supply liquid, for example, ink, to nozzle 420 from liquid channel 47. In one example embodiment, both the ink return channel 470 and the ink supply channel 475 are formed by an anisotropic deep silicon etching process (DRIE) from the surface (a second surface 505) of the substrate 405 opposite to the surface (the first surface 485) of the substrate 405 where the nozzle and catcher is located.
Catcher 480 is formed in this example embodiment by layers 405a, 410a, 440a, and 430a. Catcher 480 includes a drop contact surface, one or more of the surfaces of material layers 405a, 410a, or 440a that is common to liquid return channel 470. This drop contact surface of the catcher and nozzle 420 of monolithic liquid jetting structure 400 are offset relative to each other. Commonly referred to as a “knife edge” catcher, material layer 430a of catcher 480 extends toward nozzle 420 to insure that drops 465 that are not intended to be printed are caught and removed. The extension of TEOS layer 430a is created by forming the extension on a sacrificial layer (not shown) that is removed after layer 430 is applied. Catcher 480 is precisely positioned with respect to nozzle 420. This precision is accomplished by the nature of the MEMS fabrication process, and can be expected to vary less than a micron. Accordingly, the printhead 30 of the present invention is advantaged when compared to conventional continuous printheads in that the catcher 480 of the monolithic liquid jetting structure of the present invention is accurately aligned relative to the nozzle 420 of the monolithic liquid jetting structure of the present invention. The precise alignment of catcher 480 and nozzle 420 of the monolithic liquid jetting structure of printhead 30 helps maintain print quality by helping to ensure that sufficient separation between print drops and non-print drops is created during the liquid jet deflection and subsequent drop formation process. Accordingly, the present invention takes advantage of the amount of deflection (the deflection angle) created by the deflection mechanism of the printhead.
Accurate alignment of the catcher 480 and the nozzle 420 is also enhanced by the following features of the present invention. A portion of the catcher 480 and a portion of the nozzle 420 of the monolithic structure share a common material layer, for example, one or more of material layers 410, 430, or 440. The common material layer can be located on a side of the liquid jet that is opposite the first surface 485 of substrate 405, for example, material layer 430.
The invention provides accuracy of placement of catcher 480 relative to nozzle 420, so that deflection of drops need not accommodate variation in the placement of the catcher, and the integrated construction of both nozzle 420 and catcher 480 removes the need for a difficult, expensive and time consuming step of alignment. Additionally, by the nature of the fabrication process, catcher 480 is very thin. This provides the additional advantage of making the necessary angle of deflection very small between printing drops and non-printing drops.
Catcher 480 does not need to be aligned as shown in
During operation of printhead 30, liquid, for example, ink, is continuously emitted under pressure through nozzle 420 to form a filament of liquid 52, commonly referred to as a liquid jet. Drop forming mechanism 28, commonly referred to as a drop forming device, is operable to form liquid drops having a size or volume from the liquid jet 52 ejected through each nozzle 420. To accomplish this, drop forming mechanism 28 includes a drop stimulation actuator(s) 450, 450a, for example, a heater or a piezoelectric actuator, that, when selectively activated, perturbs each liquid jet or filament of liquid 52 to induce portions of each jet (or filament) to breakoff from the jet (or filament) and coalesce to form drops 460 and 465.
In
When drop stimulation actuator 450, 450a include heaters deflection of the liquid jet 52 is also accomplished when heat from the heaters is applied asymmetrically to the liquid jet 52 (or filament of liquid). For example, the heater can be a segmented heater with the segments being independently actuatable relative to each other with one segment, 450, being positioned in material layer 410 while another segment, 450a, is positioned in material layer 430. When used in this configuration, the heaters, common referred to as asymmetric heaters, operate as the drop forming mechanism and the deflection mechanism. This type of drop formation and drop deflection is known having been described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,821, issued to Chwalek et al., on Jun. 27, 2000. Accordingly, in some example embodiments of the invention, the drop forming mechanism and the deflection mechanism are the same mechanism, for example, a heater.
Printing trajectory 490 is intended for drops 460 that ultimately are printed and contact the print media (shown in
In this configuration of the invention, the deflection mechanism is included (along with the drop forming mechanism) in at least one of the plurality of material layers, for example, one or both of materials layers 410, 430 that form nozzle 420. As such, the deflection mechanism and the drop forming mechanism are located upstream from an exit of nozzle 420 (beyond which a portion of the jet is exposed to atmosphere) relative to the direction of jet ejection.
In one example embodiment of this configuration, actuators 450, 450a are thermal actuators. As such, as shown in
When drop stimulation actuator 450, 450a is a symmetric heater or a piezoelectric actuator or an electrohydrodynamic stimulator deflection can be accomplished using a conventional electrostatic deflection mechanism. Typically, the electrostatic deflection mechanism incorporates drop charging and drop deflection in a single electrode, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,808, or includes separate drop charging and drop deflection electrodes as is known in the art. When printhead 30 includes an electrostatic deflection mechanism, the electrode(s) 455 of the electrostatic deflection mechanism is positioned proximate to the liquid jet 52, for example, on the first surface 485 of substrate 405. Typically, the location of electrode(s) 455 of the electrostatic deflection mechanism is outside of nozzle 420 and downstream of nozzle 420 relative to the direction of travel of the liquid jet 52. The electrostatic deflection mechanism including the electrode(s) is formed using conventional MEMS or CMOS fabrication techniques. Additional electrodes (not shown) can also be used in conjunction with electrode 455 to enhance or alter the deflected drop trajectories.
Printing trajectory 490 is intended for drops 460 that ultimately are printed and contact the print media (shown in
In this configuration of the invention, the drop forming mechanism is included in at least one of the plurality of material layers, for example, one or both of materials layers 410, 430 that form nozzle 420. As such the drop forming mechanism is located upstream from an exit of nozzle 420 (beyond which a portion of the jet is exposed to atmosphere) relative to the direction of jet ejection. The deflection mechanism is located downstream from the nozzle exit (beyond which a portion of the jet is exposed to atmosphere) relative to the direction of jet ejection. Additionally, the drop forming mechanism includes a length dimension that is greater than a height dimension with the length dimension being parallel to the direction of liquid jet 52 ejection through nozzle 420 which helps to add heat to the liquid jet 52 as the liquid jet 52 passes by the actuators ultimately helping to create a consistent drop break-off location relative to the electrode(s) 455 for the liquid jet 52.
Referring to
Referring to
Printing trajectory 490 is intended for drops 460 that ultimately are printed and contact the print media (shown in
As shown in
Referring to
In
The “over-bite” configuration can be achieved by laminating and patterning a dry film material to form the material layer 430, 430a over the cavity in material layer 410 (nozzle 420). Alternatively, the “over-bite” configuration can be achieved by removing a sacrificial material filled in the cavity in material layer 410 (nozzle 420) between substrate 405, 405a and material layer 430, 430a.
In
The “under-bite” configuration can be achieved by laminating and patterning a dry film material to form material layer 430, 430a over the cavity in material layer 410 (nozzle 420). Alternatively, the “under-bite” configuration can be achieved by removing a sacrificial material filled in the cavity in material layer 410 (nozzle 420) between substrate 405, 405a and material layer 430, 430a.
In
Referring to
Referring to
Typically, the printhead includes a plurality of nozzles, for example, arranged in an array, on a common substrate. Liquid, for example, ink, is emitted under pressure through the plurality of nozzles to form filaments of liquid, commonly referred to as liquid jets. In
Referring to
In the cross sectional view provided by
Liquid return channel 470 is located between the first surface 485 of substrate 405, the surface on which monolithic liquid jetting structure 400 is positioned, and a second surface 505 of substrate 405. Liquid return channel 470 is in fluid communication with a catcher 480 and is provided to remove drops 465 that are not used for printing and facilitate liquid transfer to recycling unit 44. Drops 465 are caught by catcher 480 and can be encouraged to retreat from catcher 480 and flow into liquid return channel 470 using a vacuum or other liquid suction devices or liquid removal mechanisms.
A liquid supply channel 475 is located between the first surface 485 of substrate 405, the surface on which monolithic liquid jetting structure 400 is positioned, and a second surface 505 of substrate 405. Liquid supply channel 475 is in fluid communication with nozzle 420 and is provided to supply liquid, for example, ink, to nozzle 420 from liquid channel 47. In one example embodiment, both the ink return channel 470 and the ink supply channel 475 are formed by an anisotropic deep silicon etching process (DRIE) from the surface (a second surface 505) of the substrate 405 opposite to the surface (the first surface 485) of the substrate 405 where the nozzle and catcher is located.
Catcher 480 is formed in this example embodiment by layers 405a, 410a, 440a, and 430a. Catcher 480 includes a drop contact surface 510 which includes a portion of first surface 485 of substrate 405, the surface 485 of substrate 405 on which monolithic liquid jetting structure 400 is positioned. Drop contact surface 510 is located downstream from the exit of nozzle 420. Drop contact surface 510 of catcher 480 and nozzle 420 of monolithic liquid jetting structure 400 are offset relative to each other.
Catcher 480 is precisely positioned with respect to nozzle 420. This precision is accomplished by the nature of the MEMS fabrication process, and can be expected to vary less than a micron. Accordingly, the printhead 30 of the present invention is advantaged when compared to conventional continuous printheads in that the catcher 480 is accurately aligned relative to the nozzle 420 of the monolithic liquid jetting structure of the present invention. The precise alignment of catcher 480 and nozzle 420 helps maintain print quality by helping to ensure that sufficient separation between print drops and non-print drops is created during the liquid jet deflection and subsequent drop formation process. Accordingly, the present invention takes advantage of the amount of deflection (the deflection angle) created by the deflection mechanism of the printhead. The invention provides accuracy of placement of catcher 480 relative to nozzle 420, so that deflection of drops need not accommodate variation in the placement of the catcher, and the integrated construction of both nozzle 420 and catcher 480 removes the need for a difficult, expensive and time consuming step of alignment.
During operation of printhead 30, liquid, for example, ink, is continuously emitted under pressure through nozzle 420 to form a filament of liquid 52, commonly referred to as a liquid jet. Drop forming mechanism 28, commonly referred to as a drop forming device, is operable to form liquid drops having a size or volume from the liquid jet 52 ejected through each nozzle 420. To accomplish this, drop forming mechanism 28 includes a drop stimulation actuator(s) 450, 450a, for example, a heater or a piezoelectric actuator, that, when selectively activated, perturbs each liquid jet or filament of liquid 52 to induce portions of each jet (or filament) to breakoff from the jet (or filament) and coalesce to form drops 460 and 465.
In
When drop stimulation actuator 450, 450a include heaters deflection of the liquid jet 52 is also accomplished when heat from the heaters is applied asymmetrically to the liquid jet 52 (or filament of liquid). For example, the heater can be a segmented heater with the segments being independently actuatable relative to each other with one segment being positioned in material layer 410 while another segment is positioned in material layer 430. When used in this configuration, the heaters, common referred to as asymmetric heaters, operate as the drop forming mechanism and the deflection mechanism. This type of drop formation and drop deflection is known having been described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,821, issued to Chwalek et al., on Jun. 27, 2000. Accordingly, in some example embodiments of the invention, the drop forming mechanism and the deflection mechanism are the same mechanism, for example, a heater.
Printing trajectory 490 is intended for drops 460 that ultimately are printed and contact the print media (shown in
In this configuration of the invention, the deflection mechanism is included (along with the drop forming mechanism) in at least one of the plurality of material layers, for example, one or both of materials layers 410, 430 that form nozzle 420. As such, the deflection mechanism and the drop forming mechanism are located upstream from an exit of nozzle 420 (beyond which a portion of the jet is exposed to atmosphere) relative to the direction of jet ejection.
In one example embodiment of this configuration, actuators 450, 450a are thermal actuators. As such, as shown in
When drop stimulation actuator 450, 450a is a symmetric heater or a piezoelectric actuator or an electrohydrodynamic stimulator deflection can be accomplished using a conventional electrostatic deflection mechanism. Typically, the electrostatic deflection mechanism incorporates drop charging and drop deflection in a single electrode, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,808, or includes separate drop charging and drop deflection electrodes as is known in the art. When printhead 30 includes an electrostatic deflection mechanism, the electrode(s) 455 of the electrostatic deflection mechanism is positioned proximate to the liquid jet 52, for example, on the first surface 485 of substrate 405. Electrode(s) 455 is located upstream relative to drop contact surface 510 of catcher 480. Typically, the location of electrode(s) 455 of the electrostatic deflection mechanism is outside of nozzle 420 and downstream of nozzle 420 relative to the direction of travel of the liquid jet 52. The electrostatic deflection mechanism including the electrode(s) are formed using conventional MEMS or CMOS fabrication techniques.
Printing trajectory 490 is intended for drops 460 that ultimately are printed and contact the print media (shown in
The drop forming mechanism is included in at least one of the plurality of material layers, for example, one or both of materials layers 410, 430 that form nozzle 420. As such, the drop forming mechanism is located upstream from an exit of nozzle 420 (beyond which a portion of the jet is exposed to atmosphere) relative to the direction of jet ejection. The deflection mechanism is located downstream from the nozzle exit (beyond which a portion of the jet is exposed to atmosphere) relative to the direction of jet ejection. Additionally, the drop forming mechanism includes a length dimension that is greater than a height dimension with the length dimension being parallel to the direction of liquid jet 52 ejection through nozzle 420 which helps to add heat to the liquid jet 52 as the liquid jet 52 passes by the actuators ultimately helping to create a consistent drop break-off location relative to the electrode(s) 455 for the liquid jet 52.
As shown in
The example embodiments described above with reference to
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the scope of the invention.
20
continuous printer system
22
image source
24
image processing unit
26
mechanism control circuits
28
device
30
printhead
32
recording medium
34
recording medium transport system
36
recording medium transport control system
38
micro-controller
40
reservoir
42
catcher
44
recycling unit
46
pressure regulator
47
channel
52
liquid jet, filament of liquid
400
liquid jetting structure
405
silicon substrate
405a
silicon substrate
410
material layer
410a
material layer
411
material layer
420
nozzle
430
material layer
430a
material layer
440
material layer
440a
material layer
450
actuator
450a
actuator
455
electrode(s)
460
liquid drops
465
liquid drops
470
liquid return channel
475
liquid supply channel
480
catcher
485
first surface
490
printing trajectory
495
non-printing trajectory
500
gap
505
second surface
510
drop contact surface
800
actuator
900
beveled edge
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